Monday, July 11, 2011

The citizenry of California's 36th district only need to know one thing about tomorrow's (or today's, pending on what time you read this) special election: vote Craig Huey for the House of Representatives, and you will not regret it.

America needs Conservative decision makers; not liberal politicians.

Polls are open from 7 am to 8 pm local time and Pundit Press will follow the election results tomorrow night until someone is declared the victor.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of Likely U.S. Voters think President Obama is more liberal than they are. In early June, 54% felt the president was more liberal than they are. Prior to the latest survey, the number of voters who feel this way has ranged from 54% to 61%.

Just 15% feel the president is politically more conservative than they are, the highest level measured to date. Twenty-six percent (26%) believe the president’s ideology is about the same as their own.

Eighty-three percent (83%) of Republicans think the president is more liberal than they are. Among Democrats, a plurality (49%) say they share a similar ideology to the president, 26% say he is more conservative than they are, and 20% say he is more liberal. A majority (55%) of voters not affiliated with either major political party believe the president is more liberal than they are.

The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on July 5, 2011 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.

Sixty-two percent (62%) of Political Class voters say they share the same ideology as President Obama, while 60% of mainstream voters say he is more liberal than they are.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner (GYT'-nur) says many Americans will face hard times for a long time to come.

He says President Barack Obama rescued the United States from a second Great Depression and will keep working to strengthen the economy. But Geithner says will be some time before many people feel like the country is recovering.

Geithner tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that it's a very tough economy. He says that for a lot of people "it's going to feel very hard, harder than anything they've experienced in their lifetime now, for a long time to come."

Speaker John A. Boehner told President Obama on Saturday night he will not agree to the president’s most ambitious plan for deficit reduction, citing the administration’s pursuit of tax increases as one of the main hurdles.

“The White House will not pursue a bigger debt reduction agreement without tax hikes,” the Ohio Republican said in a statement released Saturday night. “I believe the best approach may be to focus on producing a smaller measure, based on the cuts identified in the Biden-led negotiations, that still meets our call for spending reforms and cuts greater than the amount of any debt limit increase.”

White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer issued a statement later Saturday night repeating the president’s call for a “balanced approach” on deficit reduction and urging congressional leaders to keep negotiating with the administration on the largest possible deal.

“To back off now will not only fail to solve our fiscal challenge, it will confirm the cynicism people have about politics in Washington,” Mr. Pfeiffer said. “The President believes that now is the moment to rise above that cynicism and show the American people that we can still do big things.”

Mr. Boehner still will attend a negotiating session at the White House set for 6 p.m. Sunday, but his declaration appears to shatter Mr. Obama’s effort to pursue the largest possible deficit reduction deal of $4 trillion over 10 years by including tax hikes. Earlier talks led by Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. had reached consensus on about $2 trillion in deficit reduction through spending cuts.

Conservative House Republican leaders have been wary that the administration’s pursuit of the goal of $4 trillion could include as much as $1 trillion in tax hikes by closing loopholes and other changes in the tax code.

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney might have state run health care on his record, which should probably be the death of him, but he has something even stronger in his current campaign for President: ad men sent from heaven.

Whether it be his "bump in the road," or "Allentown" advertisements that have made their rounds on both the Internet and television, his economic messaging has impressed me greatly, and has separated his voice strongly from the rest.

I think the reason for his advertising success, besides his gigantic war chest, is the fact everyone knows about Mitt Romney's background - CEO of the Winter Olympic games in 2002 and Governor of Massachusetts - so he doesn't have to introduce himself to voters like Bachmann and Pawlenty have to. Allowing him plenty of early time to focus on his economic strengths.

Regardless of how Romney's fundraising hauls go, if his team continues to design and release advertisements that dominate the airwaves and impact primary voters, his road to the nomination might be eaiser than previously thought.

Saturday, July 09, 2011

When he's not insulting the innocent or making up facts, New York Times writer (and douchebag extraordinaire) Paul Krugman writes opinion pieces as well:

But let’s be frank. It’s getting harder and harder to trust Mr. Obama’s motives in the budget fight, given the way his economic rhetoric has veered to the right. In fact, if all you did was listen to his speeches, you might conclude that he basically shares the G.O.P.’s diagnosis of what ails our economy and what should be done to fix it. And maybe that’s not a false impression; maybe it’s the simple truth.

One striking example of this rightward shift came in last weekend’s presidential address, in which Mr. Obama had this to say about the economics of the budget: “Government has to start living within its means, just like families do. We have to cut the spending we can’t afford so we can put the economy on sounder footing, and give our businesses the confidence they need to grow and create jobs.”

That’s three of the right’s favorite economic fallacies in just two sentences. No, the government shouldn’t budget the way families do; on the contrary, trying to balance the budget in times of economic distress is a recipe for deepening the slump. Spending cuts right now wouldn’t “put the economy on sounder footing.” They would reduce growth and raise unemployment. And last but not least, businesses aren’t holding back because they lack confidence in government policies; they’re holding back because they don’t have enough customers — a problem that would be made worse, not better, by short-term spending cuts.

In his brief remarks after Thursday’s meeting, by the way, Mr. Obama seemed to reiterate the Herbert Hooveresque view that deficit reduction is what we need to “grow the economy.”

Yankee great Derek Jeter homered to left-field this afternoon to become only the 28th major leaguer, and somewhat surprisingly the first ever Yankee, to reach 3,000 career hits.

Even though I am not a fan of the Yankees, I have always admired Jeter's great athletic ability - and now millions of future baseball fans will when they see his amazing stats, or his plaque at the Baseball Hall-of-Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

I'm okay with wiretapping if it is used to catch criminals and keep our country safe. But just imagine, if you will, if President Bush had done this, what the Left would be saying. Something a lot less civil.

The 2010 Wiretap Report said federal and state courts approved 3,194 orders for intercepting wire, oral or electronic communications. That was up from the 2,376 intercepts approved in 2009.

Here’s some more fun facts from the report:

Of all the applications for wiretap intercepts, 84 percent (2,675) cited illegal drugs as the most serious offense under investigation. The top three state wiretaps resulting in the most arrests were all narcotics related.

The average cost of a wiretap was $50,085, down 4 percent from 2009.

The average number of persons whose communications were intercepted rose from 113 per wiretap order in 2009 to 118 per wiretap order in 2010.

Only 26 percent of intercepted communications in 2010 were incriminating. Only one request for authorization was denied.

The top three states with approved wiretap applications were California, New York and New Jersey.

An Iraq war veteran who lost both his legs to an IED attack has died after being flung from a roller coaster.

Sergeant James Hackemer, 29, died after falling from the Ride of Steel roller coaster at Darien Lake Theme Park, Syracuse, New York.

He was visiting the park with his daughters, sisters and other members of the family. He was on the ride with his nephew, Ashton, a sophomore at the University at Buffalo, when the tragic accident happened.

According to park officials, Mr Hackemer was travelling at 50 mph in the front row of the roller coaster when he was ejected.

Investigators say nothing mechanical was wrong with the ride and both the safety harness and restraining bar were working.

The Republic of South Sudan officially gained their independence today and joined the brotherhood of nations.

South Sudan, which is predominately African and Christian, has hoped for this day to come for several decades, and I am glad former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell was there to welcome them to nationhood on behalf of America.

Friday, July 08, 2011

Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) warned Friday that President Obama faces turmoil in the Senate and in his reelection campaign if he includes Social Security cuts in any debt-ceiling deal.

The senators said the White House has not communicated effectively to Senate Democrats and they and their rank-and-file colleagues are being frozen out of the process.

“I have talked to some of my colleagues, including some that you might not expect, who say if [White House officials] bring to the Senate a piece of crap that comes down heavy on working families and children and the elderly and they expect me to matter-of-factly vote for it, they'll have another thing coming,” Sanders said. He added that he would filibuster such a deal.
“I do worry that the White House is misreading the Senate and taking things for granted,” Whitehouse said. “There has not been enough communication to alleviate that potential misreading.”

Whitehouse noted that Democrats can support a $4 trillion deficit-reduction package without touching Social Security. He noted the so-far secret Senate Budget Committee plan has more deficit reduction than the House-passed budget without doing so.

Both men said they have only heard of potential cuts to Social Security through newspaper accounts and they do not know what is on the table.

Picking up where I left off in my review of the ratification debate I want to address the question I raised at the end of last week’s essay, “What was the problem?”

If the government as established under the Articles had so many successes how did it end up being replaced by the government as established under the Constitution?

There were some perceived and actual weaknesses of the government as established under the Articles of Confederation:

·The national government was too weak as compared to the State governments.

·There was only a unicameral legislature and thus there was not a separate executive department to carry out and enforce the acts of Congress.

·There was no national court system to interpret the meaning of the laws passed by Congress leaving them open to differing interpretations.

·.Congress didn't have the power to levy taxes. It was instead dependent on State donations, which were levied on the basis of the value of land within the various states.

·Congress did not have the exclusive right to coin money. Each state retained the right to coin money.Without a uniform monetary system the coins of one state might not be accepted in another, hampering commerce.

·There was no mechanism to adjudicate disputes between the states.

·The Individual States were not precluded from having their own foreign policies including the right to make treaties.

·Each State had one vote in Congress with no respect to size or population.

·It required nine out of the thirteen states to approve the passage of major laws, approve treaties, or declare war.

·The amendment process was cumbersome requiring a unanimous vote.

Some of these weaknesses caused actual problems during the Articles short tenure, and some were merely perceived as possible sources of problems in the future.

So how did we get from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution?

It was commerce that proved to be the catalyst for the transition between the Articles and the Constitution.

Disputes concerning navigation on the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia led the calling of a conference between five states at Annapolis, Maryland, in 1786.Alexander Hamilton was one of the delegates.He successfully convinced the delegates that these issues of commerce were too intertwined with primarily economic and political concerns to be properly addressed by representatives of only five states.Instead he proposed that all of the states send representatives to a Federal Convention the following year in Philadelphia.At first Congress was opposed to this plan However, when they learned that Virginia would send George Washington they approved of the meeting.Elections of delegates were subsequently held in all of the States except Rhode Island which ignored the summons.
The Convention had been authorized by Congress merely to draft proposals for amendments to the Articles of Confederation.However, as soon as it convened they decided on their own to throw the Articles aside and instead create a completely new form of government.
Was the writing of the Constitution legal?Who gave the Federal Convention authority to discard the Articles of Confederation which had been duly ratified by all thirteen States?Was this a counterrevolution?
The answers to these questions have been debated by historians and constitutional scholars for hundreds of years, but in reality the answers are moot.Whether the Federal Convention had any legal sanction to do what they did doesn’t matter. The action was eventually accepted by the Congress, the ratification conventions were held in the various States, and eventually it was ratified becoming the supreme law of the land.
Now we are ready to look at the Great Debate between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists.
First, what about the terms, “Federalist” and “Anti-Federalist” how appropriate were they during the debate?
New Speak is nothing new in politics, and the concept of words having power to shape reality was not invented by George Orwell.Look at the original debate of the ratification of the Constitution, and as a consequence how we have studied, learned, and even shaped the debate in this lecture concerning the ratification of the Constitution.
Think about the central term itself. Federalism refers to decentralized government. Those who supported the Constitution, who advocated that it replace the Articles of Confederation, which if nothing else established a decentralized system of government, called themselves "Federalists," even though they wanted a more centralized government.This left the supporters of the Articles, who wanted a decentralized government, to be known then and forever as the "Anti-Federalists," when in fact they were the true Federalists.
So much for the straight forward clarity of Historical fact, everything must be examined and everything interpreted.
In the study of the debate for the ratification of the Constitution a common mistake made is the shallowness of the study.In a good school the average student will be exposed to perhaps two of the Federalist Letters and none of the Anti-Federalist Letters, which is like trying to understand an answer without knowing what the question was.In this abbreviated look at the subject we will look at both sides in general seeking instead an overview of the topic leaving the specifics to a personal study, which will without a doubt enrich the understanding of any who find the motivation for such an endeavor.
The Federalist and Anti-Federalist papers were actually published as newspaper articles for the general public.This in itself tells us much about the comparative state of public education and awareness between the American general public in the late Eighteenth Century and the early Twenty-first.When we examine the two sets of papers and dwell upon the vocabulary and the breadth and depth of the philosophical, political, and economical ideas expressed we are immediately struck by the fact that the average person in America today would not be able to understand the sophisticated and specialized vocabulary let alone grasp the ideas.And yet these were not published in journals for the educated elite. These were published in general circulation newspapers and were actually debated and referenced across the dinner tables and around the workshops of America.
Next week we will look deeper into these two sets of documents that have had such a profound effect upon America and find out exactly who the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists were and why does it matter to us today?

The House of Representatives reaffirmed overwhelmingly last evening that the United States is committed to a negotiated settlement between the Israeli's and Palestinians; not the U.N. granting full statehood to the Hamas led territories in September. Well over 95% of Democrats and Republicans supported the House resolution.

However, six Representatives had the gall to stand against our greatest ally, and with international recognition of terrorist backed territories yesterday. Three members of each party are guilty, but none of the names should surprise anyone at this point. Thirteen Democratic Representatives also voted 'present' for some unknown reason.

Constituents in all six of these districts should replace these congressional disgraces with real men. Men who support the interests of our country and our allies, while working to oppose the interests of meddling liberal multilateralists at the U.N. and islamic jihadists on the battlefield.

I salute the House for passing this very important resolution in support of our Jewish friends.

Texas executed a Mexican citizen Thursday for the rape-slaying of a teenager after he and the White House pleaded in vain for a Supreme Court stay, saying he was denied help from his home country that could have helped him avoid the death penalty.

In his last minutes, Humberto Leal repeatedly said he was sorry and accepted responsibility.

"I have hurt a lot of people. ... I take full blame for everything. I am sorry for what I did," he said in the death chamber.
"One more thing," he said as the drugs began taking effect. Then he shouted twice, "Viva Mexico!"

And don't forget, American taxpayers subsidize dozens of UN "projects."

Richard Falk, the UN Human Rights Council’s expert on Palestine, decided to draw a cartoon to depict how he saw the world. Imagining the nations of the world and their interaction with law and liberty, Falk drew a dog wearing a sacred Yarmulke with a Star of David emblazoned on it.

In the dog's mouth were the bloody bones of an infant:

Around the dog's waist is a piece of cloth reading "USA."

The dog smiles as he looks back at a personification of liberty and justice as he urinates all over her. Considering that the man who drew this is an "expert," I think we can all figure out how much of the United Nations views Jewish people and the United States.

Luckily, UN Watch picked it up and decided to send the United Nations a letter on the subject. The full letter is below:

We write to convey our grave concern over the publication of an overtly anti-Semitic cartoon by Richard Falk, an expert of the UN Human Rights Council. We urge you—as the highest moral authority of the UN human rights system—to condemn Mr. Falk’s actions, which constitute incitement to hatred and racial discrimination as defined under Articles 1 and 4 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

Mr. Falk published the attached cartoon in his blog post of June 29. As you can see, it depicts a dog urinating on a woman symbolizing justice, and devouring a dead body with blood and bones spewing out of its mouth. The dog is shown in a garment marked “USA” and wearing a Kipa, the Jewish religious head covering, which is marked by a Star of David. The cartoon is manifestly anti-Semitic and, before a worldwide Internet audience, incites hatred against Jews as well as against Americans.

We are aware that mandate-holders are answerable only to the Council, and that Mr. Falk and his supporters will claim that the cartoon was published in his “personal capacity.” As you know, however, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in identical circumstances, unequivocally ruled that Mr. Falk has “a clear responsibility to uphold the high standards of the United Nations and the Council.” Accordingly, the Secretary-General twice condemned Mr. Falk for having propagated the 9/11 conspiracy theory and insulting the memory of the 3,000 victims of that attack. Likewise, in 2005, your predecessor, High Commissioner Louise Arbour did not hesitate to condemn expert Jean Ziegler for what she described as his “inflammatory” and “highly irresponsible” remarks.

For the UN human rights system to be credible in the fight against racism, its own representatives must not be allowed to incite hatred and racial discrimination with impunity. We urge you to speak out.
Sincerely,

Hillel C. Neuer
Executive Director

In the same post by Falk, he also showed off his sub-par photoshopping skills by posting this:

It looked like a helmet to me, and the main visible symbol on the dog was the USA midriff covering. I found the cartoon through a Google image search on the page devoted to the International Criminal Court. Almost all the images there were about the Court or justice, and I assumed that this blindfolded goddess of justice was being led around by the USA.

Update- Falk now denies drawing the image, instead saying that he found it on Google.

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

“For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong” H. L. Mencken

When I was growing up in Canada, I noticed that during the lead up to every national election, the leader of each political party promised to move the Canadian embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. For those who are strong pro-Israel advocates, the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is highly significant, and so we welcomed such promises. Within the Jewish community, many were impressed; others, expressing cynicism, ignored the promises. Why? Because once the election was over, the party that prevailed found some reason to keep the embassy in Tel Aviv, a position that was in accord with Arab sympathies against accepting Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Somehow, this charade was repeated in election after election, as though no one would notice. This was my introduction to the nature and frequent dishonesty of political rhetoric.

We are entering the 2012 election season, and are about to be bombarded by displays of simple solutions to complex problems, pomposity, verbosity, hyperbole, irrational nonsense, promises that will never be kept, and occasionally a display of eloquence and reason.

Recently , philosopher and columnist Thomas Sowell discussed this phenomenon in a column titled politics versus reality. What he essentially states is that politics is about getting voters to believe certain things that may or may not be true. To do this politicians, media figures, and others, use clever words to advance an idea or agenda while ignoring alternative data (confirmation bias). Those predisposed to these ideas are easily convinced

One example he offers relates to the way in which politicians deal with the national debt. Should we solve this critical problem by reducing spending or by increasing taxes?. It is very tempting to demagogue this issue, to argue against "tax cuts for the rich". Never mind that historical evidence indicates that reducing taxes, by putting more money into the private sector where businesses are built and jobs are created, will in fact stimulate the economy and lead to greater employment. The proponents of higher taxes unfortunately do not care about evidence, about whether or not their proposals will solve the problem. The ideology of “spreading the wealth around” trumps consideration of what actually works.

Another example is that of health care. In Canada, where I grew up and received my medical training, financing of health care is a government function. While there are many advantages to this form of universal coverage, advantages that I myself have often pointed out, there are also many negatives.

The fact that people need to wait long periods to see primary care physicians, and even longer periods to see specialists, is not explored by supporters of government financing. And there is the fact that government in an attempt to save money may not permit newer drugs to be used, relying on less effective agents, or drugs with increased adverse effects. A classmate of mine who currently practices opthalmology in Toronto tells me that when he performs cataract surgery, he must use the lowest cost lens, even though the more expensive ones are far superior.

In other words, to save money, quality is often sacrificed. And so, on the one hand, everyone is covered; on the other hand, many Canadians are crossing the border to get timely health care.

Sowell points out that supporters of government sponsored universal health care often argue that life expectancy is less in the US, implying that this is the fault of our health care system, They simply ignore data that suggest that other factors such as obesity, poor diet, family dysfunction, and narcotic abuse, may be partly responsible. Thus clever rhetoric again trumps accurate analysis.

Those on the other side, opponents of government as insurer, ignore the problem of dealing with those who lack access to health care by virtue of the unavailability of affordable insurance. They insist that health care is a privilege, not a right due to all of our citizens.

So we have a standoff in which politicians and journalists who support or oppose government financing of health care fail to present a nuanced picture. Both sides present studies that support their point of view, ignoring alternative realities.

Another example is that of "shovel-ready projects" advanced by President Obama as a solution to economic stasis and unemployment. In this scenario, the administration’s spokespersons would have you believe that there are construction projects where the shovels would immediately go to work as soon as the stimulus money was available. Guess what? It didn't happen. Now we don’t have the construction projects, but we are saddled with the debt resulting from the stimulus

We are facing high unemployment despite the promises of "stimulus" spending. Further, government hiring means transferring funds from the private to the government sector, resulting in job loss in the private sector. This is why government job creation does not lead to lower unemployment. However, the talking heads and politicians talk about government coming to the rescue by creating jobs. This is simply rhetoric that ignores the realities.

A final example; in San Francisco and Berkeley we have rent control. According to the politicians who profit off such beliefs, “Rent control rescues helpless tenants from the high rents charged by greedy landlords”

But what is the reality? We have housing shortages, as developers are discouraged from developing. We have reduced maintenance and amenities as landlords are forced to deal with rent increases that lag behind the increased costs of maintaining housing. Once again, political figures profit on the perception that lack of adequate maintenance must be the fault of “greedy landlords”, rather than an inevitable consequence of freezing housing rents.

And price controls in general, often advocated by political and media figures, have unintended negative consequences, Imagine price controls on health care services, where costs are continually rising, but the health care providers are forced to absorb the increased costs. How many will stay in business? How many physicians have taken early retirement, or refuse to accept Medicaid patients?. Is this why it is getting harder to find a primary care physician? Is this why price controls generally lead to shortages?

As we approach the upcoming elections, we have a responsibility as voters to carefully scrutinize political talking points. This is not a progressive or liberal issue. It is an equal opportunity problem, applicable to conservatives also.

The lessons? First, beware of simple solutions to complex problems. Secondly, try to anticipate unintended consequences. And finally, seek out nuanced arguments that present data, not language designed to simply stir the juices.

The Hollywood Reporter reported this morning that a record low 25.4 million Americans tuned into Obama's national address, which is almost 40% less than his 2009 counterpart address that announced the surgein the first place.

Ouch.

This isn't something new, as fewer and fewer Americans have tuned into Obama's various disaster, economic and military speech's since his inauguration in January 2009. But this is simply pathetic. President Obama can no longer attract more citizens to wartime addresses than to American Idol season finales.

The hottest commodity in 2012 Republican politics is no longer former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, or showman Donald Trump, but decade long Texas Governor Rick Perry, who has fired up activists across America hoping for a political savior.

His record of executive accomplishment and experience appeals to a Conservative base seeking someone who will both be able to competently run the federal government and rollback the liberal apparatus of ever increasing entitlement spending.

But we shouldn't all jump on the Perry bandwagon.

We have only heard two-thirds of Perry's policies - hard nosed fiscal conservatism and passionate social conservatism.

Most Republican voters want our 2012 nominee to have the decibel levels of Oregon'sAutzen Stadium, but that desire has caused many to discount former Minnesota Governor Timothy Pawlenty, and his friendly attitudes, which is commonly referred to as "Minnesota Nice" as some sort of derogatory word.

They shouldn't.

America does not want someone to shout from the bottom of their heart that President Obama is a failure; what we need is someone who understands our economic situation is troubling and that leadership trumps political posturing any day.

Tim Pawlenty is that someone.

He will never be accused of stirring passionate devotion among supporters (just ask me), but after two years of good speech making and no results to show for it, America might just need a President who is, frankly, boring and able in office.

Monday, July 04, 2011

In February, 2011 medical and public health groups began banding together to explain how global warming has and will take a profound toll on human health. The American Medical Association has been one of several esteemed and respected associations that have bought fully and put their name and reputation behind this theory.

In a Thursday conference call with reporters, the heads of the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Public Health Association (APHA) joined with a pediatrician and a scientist to lay out what they say is a major public health issue: climate change caused by global warming.

The "evidence has only grown stronger" that climate change is responsible for an increasing number of health ills, including asthma, diarrheal disease, and even deaths from extreme weather such as heat waves, said Georges Benjamin, MD, executive director of the APHA.

Are there limitations? Evidently this depends upon who you ask. In this case George Will asks a simple question meant to clarify the absurdity of the Obamacare power grab. The geniuses sitting at the Amanpour's round table illustrates why the MSM has such a hard time clearly reporting the facts surrounding the various Obamacare lawsuits:

Has the congressional power to regulate interstate commerce been so loosely construed that now Congress can do anything at all … Let me ask the three of you. Obviously, obesity and its costs affect interstate commerce. Does Congress have the constitutional power to require obese people to sign up for Weight Watchers? If not, why not?

Hundreds of millions of Americans will be celebrating our 235th anniversary as an independent nation today!

There will be several readings of the Declaration (Old Stone Fort in Schoharie, New York), family events, fireworks and parades. The colours will be proudly displayed through out the entire United States in honor of our heritage past and present.

We must spend this day not only in celebration of our country, but in awe of our Founding Fathers. They did not sign a document of independence alone; but one of treason and of death if they failed to succeed. They were our first heroes.

Sunday, July 03, 2011

Hugo Chávez has long considered Noam Chomsky one of his best friends in the west. He has basked in the renowned scholar's praise for Venezuela's socialist revolution and echoed his denunciations of US imperialism.

The president may be about to have second thoughts about that, because his favourite intellectual has now turned his guns on Chávez.

Speaking to the Observer last week, Chomsky has accused the socialist leader of amassing too much power and of making an "assault" on Venezuela's democracy.

"Concentration of executive power, unless it's very temporary and for specific circumstances, such as fighting world war two, is an assault on democracy. You can debate whether [Venezuela's] circumstances require it: internal circumstances and the external threat of attack, that's a legitimate debate. But my own judgment in that debate is that it does not."

This type of speech has to leave a bit of a mark, particularly when going through a new diagnosis of cancer and still trying to run a country from afar.

Much has been speculated over the past few weeks regarding the health of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez after a prolonged absence from his country seeking treatment for an mostly unspecified medical ailment requiring surgical intervention. By accounts, Chavez urgent surgery in Havana Cuba for a pelvic abscess. Turns out there is much more here than a pelvic abscess.

A very thin and clearly gravelly ill Hugo Chavez finally addressed the Nation tonight from Havana, Cuba and once again lied and raised questions in a clear change of heart about whether to tell or not the truth about what ailment he has been suffering and how it has been handled. Chavez, the eternal improviser, actually read the speech, saying he had a malignant tumor that was discovered after a second operation, which had not been revealed until today

Much speculation at first was related to the possibility of metastatic prostate cancer. This never fit very well for me as prostate cancer generally affects men much older and doesn't generally result in radical prostatectomy, particularly after metastasis. This line of reasoning was bolstered by Chavez himself as he lamented to the Venezuelan people that he hadn't undergone routing health care maintenance. Many speculated that this was in reference to digital rectal exams. This line of reasoning fits better with colorectal screening though. DRE's are still part of the process, but are accompanied by the dreaded colonoscopy. That is a 3 foot tube with a camera on the end that is inserted into one's backside in order to "screen" for potentially malignant polyps. Really not something someone with the perceived ego of Chavez would submit himself to without some profound provocation.

Chavez will have to use a colostomy bag for at least three months, the Barcelona-based newspaper reported. Chavez, who is recovering from two surgeries in Cuba, isn’t able to begin chemotherapy due to the infection, the paper said. The situation is serious because the tumor may have metastasized, El Periodico reported, citing the diplomats.

The first operation for a pelvic abscess was performed by a Cuban surgeon while the second operation to remove the tumor was performed by a Spanish surgeon in Havana the newspaper said.

The Real Cuba adds thoughts and a translation. I don't speak, read, or translate Spanish into English, so I cannot account for the veracity, but it seems in accordance with other sources. Still, it is worth reading over the official source for this. Even in spanish, it is not hard to pick up on the significance

The first operation was a mistake because it was performed after it was erroneously diagnosed that Chávez only was suffering from a pelvic abscess.

Here is my translation of what the Spanish newspaper is reporting: "Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is suffering from colon cancer that has perforated the intestinal wall and has caused an infection in the abdomen. Chávez will need, at least for the next three months, a colostomy bag (a bag for stool), according to information from Venezuelan diplomatic reports that El Periodico has been able to review.

These same sources have reported that Chavez was first operated by a Cuban surgeon, who made the mistake of operating him as if he was suffering from a pelvic abscess. A few days later, the tumor fistulized. Given the seriousness of the situation, the Cuban authorities required for a second operation the services of a Spanish surgeon, which was probably José Luis García Sabrido, chief of surgery at the hospital Gregorio Marañon of Madrid, but this could not be confirmed by this newspaper. (My note: This was the same surgeon who traveled to Cuba to check on Castro)

The same report notes that, for now, Chavez can not receive chemotherapy because the infection produced by the first intervention prevents it. After seeing the medical reports, the same diplomatic sources suggest that the patient's condition is "serious" because there are chances that the tumor has caused metastasis."

The speculation is all coming from this video where the Venezuelan president addressed his nation. Interestingly and very much out of character he is addressing the nation by reading a speech.

This was a stilted announcement that was read by Chavez, the first time I can remember him reading from a piece of paper. Coming from him who makes fun of people who prefer to read prepared statements, him the great improvisor never at a loss for words, it can mean only one of two things: he is really sick and was propped for that speech made short and sort of direct; or he did not write the speech at all and somehow was coaxed into reading it. For me it is yet more evidence that we are a Cuban colony.

“What struck me is that at one point during his announcement, he misspoke and said ‘evolution’ instead of ‘evaluation.’ He corrected himself, but it was odd that in a video that was so staged — complete with props of the Venezuelan flag and a painting of Simon Bolivar — they did not do a retake,” said Douglas Leon, president of the Venezuelan Medical Federation. “What does that say? To me, it says he can only stand up for about 20 minutes, and they couldn’t let him stand for the time it would take to do it over.”

The presence of an abscessed tumor is not a good sign, said Dr. Thomas J. George Jr., an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Florida and a specialist in gastrointestinal cancers.

“This is usually because the cancer is fairly aggressive,’’ he said. “This could be a variety of different cancers — none of them good.”

The top possibility, he said, would be colorectal cancer, followed by prostate, bladder, or perhaps a sarcoma — a soft tissue cancer.

“Prostate would probably be the best option in terms of prognosis,” George said.

He also said it’s possible that the original abscess drainage procedure itself could have contaminated the area with cancer cells. Treatment, doctors agreed, would be aggressive radiation and chemotherapy.

“Prostate tumors normally do not cause this kind of abscess,” said Leon Lapco, president of the Venezuelan-American Doctors Association and a surgeon at Mercy Hospital. “I would say it’s his colon, the large intestine. It’s the most likely to cause diverticulitis, perforations and abscesses."

If you are at all interested in the goings on in Venezuela consider following the following blogs whose first hand knowledge, insight and cultural perspective will prove to be invaluable in the days and weeks to come.

Thomas Friedman has been honored many times over. He has won three Pulitzers for international reporting. He is the foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times, a reward for his yeoman work in eloquently promoting the anti-Israel message of the Times.

President Obama reportedly relies on him for advice about Israel. For many years, Friedman has been recognized as an expert on the region and its conflicts. What is usually ignored is how frequently he gets matters wrong, but does so with great style Few journalists have his record of cute and seemingly clever phrases that sound good, but say little. These statements clearly reveal Friedman’s antipathy toward the Jewish state.

For example, here are three statements about the manner in which Israel has responded to US demands:

“Well, first there’s Israel’s prime minister, Bibi Netanyahu, who has been telling everyone how committed he is to peace with the Palestinians while refusing to halt settlement building as a prerequisite for negotiations”

“ When America asks Israel to do something that in no way touches on its vital security but would actually enhance it, there is only one right answer: “Yes.” It is a measure of how spoiled Israel has become that …. Israel feels no compunction about spurning an American request for a longer settlement freeze”

“Israel, when America, a country that has lavished billions on you over the last 50 years and taken up your defense in countless international forums, asks you to halt settlements for three months to get peace talks going, there is only one right answer, and it is not “How much?” It is: “Yes, whatever you want” .

This is eloquent and powerful language. It is also wrong. Friedman ignores the fact that Netanyahu did precisely what he is recommending when Israel halted settlement building for nine months at the request of the US administration. The result? The Palestinian Authority, led by Prime Minister Abbas, refused to enter negotiations during that period. At the end of the nine months Abbas asked for an extension and Netanyahu, seeing that the freeze had accomplished nothing in the way of encouraging negotiations, said no. (The administration and much of the media condemned Israel for this, but had no criticism of the Palestinians for failing to negotiate while the freeze was in place)

Surely Friedman knows this. The only conclusion possible is that Friedman, given his words, is “speaking flattery–not truth–to power ”

Another example of Friedman’s cleverness disguising persistent fallacy occurred at a recent presentation at the Aspen Institute. On that occasion, he made the comment. (later confirmed in a tweet), that “Mubarak had 30 years to reform Egypt, then he tried to do it all in six days. Netanyahu is Mubarak of Israel”

Never mind that Mubarak’s record in Egypt consisted of 30 years of autocratic rule, while by contrast Netanyahu has been elected by Israeli citizens twice and the vast majority of Israelis think he has done a good job. (The Israeli experience over the last few decades of suffering from terrorist acts by her neighbors is reason enough for Netanyahu’s election)

So Friedman apparently believes that Israel has not changed in thirty years. Really? Thirty years ago, Israel rejected dealing with the PLO, and rejected a Palestinian state. Today, if favors a two-state solution; and accepts negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Thirty years ago Israel controlled a large swath of southern Lebanon and the Gaza strip. Not today. Thirty years ago West Bank settlements were expanding; last year there was a nine month freeze. Under Ehud Barak Israel offered a Palestinian state that would include most of East Jerusalem. No change in thirty years?

Many critics of Israel claim they are not against Israel, only against its government. (never mind that as a democracy, its government is a mirror of what its people want). Friedman has joined in propagating this supposed distinction when in fact his comments are anti-Israel, and have two goals. They are designed to undermine policies needed for Israel’s survival, and to divide the American Jewish community and destroy support for Israel by American Jews.

Friedman repeats the false line that “if only Israel took more risks and made more unilateral concessions peace would be possible, even quick to arrive.” Rubin points out that we “learned eleven years ago that this was nonsense.” All the risks in the Israel-Palestinian conflict have been taken by Israel; only angry and reflexive anti-Israeli observers believe otherwise. The reality? The real roadblocks to peace are based on actions by the Palestinian Authority

Here is another Friedman distortion, as revealed by Omni Ceren. Friedman stated that “the Israelis and the Palestinians” are the people in the Middle East “most” in need of an Arab Spring. Does this mean that Israel, one of the world’s most robust democracies, needs a democratic housecleaning more urgently than Syria, Libya or Egypt?

And here is another dangerous recommendation. Friedman reportedly suggested that the U.S. “get out of the way” in September when the Palestinians seek unilateral statehood in the United Nations. Friedman has not paused in his clever utterances to consider what such a betrayal might mean with respect to trusting the U.S. on its most ironclad assurances. Or to consider how such a move would further harm the already badly compromised U.S.-Israel relationship.

Friedman is not only wrong, he is hopelessly inconsistent. How can he acknowledge on the one hand that the Palestinians aren’t interested in peace, but still insist that we should tilt the diplomatic playing field away from Israel, our last stable Middle East ally.

Friedman has either not learned the hard realities in that part of the world, or more likely deliberately ignores them. Not so the American people, as demonstrated by polls and by the overwhelming bipartisan enthusiasm expressed toward Netanyahu by the US Congress.

Once again we are told that the people of Israel simply don’t know what’s good for them, and so they need the great wisdom of President Obama, J Street, and Thomas Friedman to tell them how they must come to their senses. We need accurate and honest journalists, not individuals who distort facts to serve those in power.

Saturday, July 02, 2011

Michigan Representative Thaddeus McCotter will officially launch his unorthodox campaign bid for the 2012 Republican nomination this afternoon at a rock festival in Whitmore Lake, Michigan. The five-term Representative will follow his announcement by rocking with his own band. He launched his website yesterday.

So what impact will McCotter's campaign have on the 2012 race?

Besides from becoming Michigan's new favorite son in the race, and, of course, increasing the ranks of rust-belt candidates, the Livonia area Representative will have to defeat the plagues of low name recognition, and of running directly from the House, which Michele Bachmann seems to be managing well.

I expect his biggest contributions to be challenging Mitt Romney in Michigan's early primary vote, and adding his talented music abilities into the 2012 field. Perhaps he can even rock with Mike Huckabee on his Fox News show at some point in the campaign.

Friday, July 01, 2011

Needless to say, it has been a monumental week for those following the hydrofracking saga taking place in New York. Below are some of the things I have been reading. If you have some links or thoughts of your own, please share.

In Reversal of 2009 Report, High-Volume Fracturing Would be Prohibited in NYC and Syracuse Watersheds

Drilling Banned Within All Primary Aquifers and on State-Owned Land Including State Forest and Wildlife Management Areas

Drilling Permitted on Other Private Land with Rigorous and Effective Protections

Advisory Panel on Implementation to Be Appointed

The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) tomorrow will release its revised recommendations on mitigating the environmental impacts of high-volume hydraulic fracturing (high-volume fracturing). The recommendations contain these major revisions:

High-volume fracturing would be prohibited in the New York City and Syracuse watersheds, including a buffer zone;

Drilling would be prohibited within primary aquifers and within 500 feet of their boundaries;

Surface drilling would be prohibited on state-owned land including parks, forest areas and wildlife management areas;

High-volume fracturing will be permitted on privately held lands under rigorous and effective controls; and

DEC will issue regulations to codify these recommendations into state law.

The national poll of likely voters found that 75 percent do not believe the country is sufficiently developing its own oil and gas resources, while 19 percent of those surveyed said the government is doing an adequate job of developing them.

Almost 50 percent of respondents also said that, given a choice, they would rather see the country develop its domestic reserves rather than cut back on gas and oil consumption. But the question was divided; another 42 percent said reducing consumption was the better policy.

Tests show that Lancaster's drinking water contains no radioactivity from wastewater used in upstate Marcellus Shale natural gas drilling.

City officials last month ordered expanded testing of drinking water taken out of the Susquehanna River after it was revealed that some wastewater used by natural gas drillers was being taken to municipally owned sewage treatment plants, then released into waterways.

A battery of tests has showed no radioactive contaminants in the water used and produced at 12 of 14 drinking water suppliers in Western Pennsylvania, according to state environmental regulators.

Wastewater treatment plants and drinking water suppliers performed extra tests throughout March, reacting to media reports that questioned whether an increase in Marcellus shale drilling had led to the introduction of radioactive chemicals into public water.

Of the 12 drinking water suppliers, only The Tri-County Joint Municipal Authority in Fredericktown reported any traces of radium-228 at all, and it was 80 percent below the maximum amount allowed, said Katy Gresh, spokeswoman at the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.

Rumors have been swirling today that New York is lifting its moratorium on new fracking in the Marcellus Shale. Here’s the reality: the de facto moratorium that has been in place since the summer of 2008 remains intact.

Added thoughts from same blog, different post, France, New York and Fracking. I have to add, how did a fellow living in the UK come to such a profound understanding of NYS political travails? Added emphasis is mine.

But, it now seems that New York State will offer the moderate wing all that they wished for, and that more importantly, the industry doesn't really have a problem with that. Full disclsoure? Without any hesitation. Recycled water? Why not? Fix the roads? Of course! Basically any objection can be met and hit on the head. Which will mean the anti shale ultras will be feeling even more mean. They will make a lot of noise: but they will be isolated. The battle in New York State is not left/right Democrat/Republican or green/oil, it is the age old split between upstate and New York City which has been going on for two hundred years already. The shale ultras will go and vote Green and get Republican and really shoot themselves in the foot.

Shale opponents believed their own narrative of the industry as inherently dirty, nasty, short-sighted and evil. Just as the reality of drilling escaped them, so too did the reality of gas and oil companies. The good/bad black/white narrative of evil gas and oil is not only simplistic, it's not even realistic. If any company had found a successful business plan based on poisoning the same people who use the product, I have yet to hear of one. Much of the shale opposition seems to have even less understanding of how a business operates than they do of geology, hydrology, chemistry or physics.

It has taken a day or so, but the gloves are starting to come off, Andrew Cuomo is Horrible. Looking through the comments, there seems to be dissension in the ranks.

Despite Andrew Cuomo’s admirable push for gay marriage, he is a horrible governor. As a “Democrat,” Cuomo has declared war on unions, on the environment, and on everything Democrats theoretically stand for, outside of gay marriage. And again, while his stance on that single issue is to his significant benefit, Cuomo is atrocious.

Cuomo has a clear vision–to be the ultimate centrist, thinking he can squeak through the 2016 presidential primary against other, presumably real Democrats who actually share the vision of the post-1933 Democratic Party and then triangulate himself into the presidency, where he will make us all long for the halcyon Clinton and Obama days, when a Democrat knew how to stand up to a Republican.

Except that I don’t think he can do it. I don’t think the bastard can withstand a Democratic primary, unless we let his single good and admirable position outweigh the fact that he doesn’t care about working-class people or the environment or essentially any other traditional Democratic issue. Certainly I would not vote for Andrew Cuomo for president, not in a primary and not in a general election.

"Citizens now have had an incredible wake-up call. And if they don't want horizontal hydrofracking in their communities, the only thing that they can do is make sure that the draft SGEIS is not adopted in final form," Hang said. "And I think you're going to be seeing civil disobedience, because I think people believed that this is going to be an honest, open process, that the governor was going to do what he said, which is to revise this document and provide good government. And I think it's like people feel they've been kicked in the teeth.

"This is a call to arms," Hang continued. "People really have to realize that the governor has not heard our message, he is not dealing with the substantive technical concerns, and we've got to make more noise."

"A road map for the industrialization of the Catskills; the fact that the Delaware River isn't protected is outrageous," said Ramsay Adams, executive director of Catskill Mountainkeeper. "It's clear they haven't developed a plan to deal with wastewater and there's no cumulative impact study. We'll fight like hell to stop this."

July is officially here and it brings with a new batch of interns. Newly minted doctors with freshly pressed white coats, brand new, out of the box stethoscopes and pockets filled to overflowing with pen lights, reflex hammers, and tuning forks will be taking over the responsibility of direct patient care. It is rite of passage that every would be doctor must go through and it doesn't come without risks.

It has been a long held belief that July was not the time to be sick and in a hospital, particularly if you are an intern. Overnight call is one of the most frightening things you are asked to do and even now thousands interns are giving themselves worrying about it.

With this in mind it was nice to come across a request from @DoctorWes to come up with a listing of "Rules to Go By". It is "Top Ten" rules every intern should take to heart. If you read closely, you will find @InpatientMed coming in at number nine. That's me by the way! Crazy people get sick too, is a bit of a mantra for me on the wards and if you have spent any amount of time on the wards, you know exactly what I am talking about. They are all good though and are presented for your reading enjoyment.

He sat in a crisp white coat, staring at a computer screen, note cards in his lap. Occasionally, I noted him jot a note to himself as he compiled his list. A nurse sat next to him, pounding feverishly on the keyboard as she recorded her nurse’s note. He tentatively moved his mouse, then clicked, still staring.

I recall my first day in clinical medicine: no computer, an ER rotation, a white board filled with names and abbreviated medical problems next to them with little magnetic color-coded labels nearby. Room 1: Head trauma. Room 2: Abscess. Room 3: UTI, Room 4: Rash.

I got room 2. It was the biggest, bad-est infected sebaceous cyst on a guy’s back a newly minted doctor had ever seen. Can you say “softball?” “See one, do one,” they told me. And off I went.

Much in medicine has changed since then, but much remains the same. Medicine is miraculous, terrifying, then rewarding all at once. Fortunately, there’s a method within the madness that can serve to preserve and protect those who first start out. Every doctor has had the fortune to learn from those who passed before them as begin their journey to refine their title of “doctor” (literally, “teacher.”)

I thought it would be interesting to put a few of the “Rules of the Road for Medicine” down on paper (with the help of friends on Twitter) for interns and residents as they embark on their own incredible journey ahead. The list is not exhaustive, but hopefully can serve as a resource for our new doctors as they head off to meet their clinical challenges ahead.

Rule #1: Treat every patient like your motherObey this rule and you’ll do the right thing more often than not. If it means staying late, do it. If it means going the extra mile, do it. If people disagree as to a specific approach to care, ask yourself “What would my mother want?” Then go that direction. Be kind. Be respectful. Wear clean clothes, brush your teeth, comb your hair, and look your best. (Note: @DrElizabethLee was quick to remind me that kids are not always kind and respectful, so their age might require a slightly more top-down, “parental” approach.)

Rule #2: There are an infinite number of ways to get screwed That’s right – not a thousand, not a million, not ten billion – but an infinite number of ways… Check and recheck. If you’re not sure, check it again. Somewhere out there, born 20 years or so ago, there is a person whose sole mission in life is to thwart your efforts to protect your patient. It usually is not intentional, mind you, but it happens. Like the nurse who feeds the patient breakfast when they’re NPO after midnight, or the orderly who accidentally trips and pulls out the IV or better yet, the pacemaker wires. Oh yeah, it happens. So double-tape where single-tape might do. Communicate. Involve the team. If you’ve got a better idea, say so. If someone else has a better idea, defer to them. Park your ego at the door and work to avoid the errors. Everyone will benefit if you do.

- Corollary: “If there’s a test for it, just get the test.” (h/t: @gruntdoc)

Rule #3: Do the rectal.Surgeons always emphasize this point, but it extends far beyond the obvious. Consider it shorthand for “do the physical.” Trust no one except yourself and what you see, hear, and feel. More often than not, you’ll be rewarded with the satisfaction of finding something no one else has, simply because you made the effort to lift the covers and do the exam.

- Corollary: Believe none of what your hear, half of what you see, all of what you do. (h/t: Benjamin Franklin via @MGKatz036)

Rule #4: Medicine is like life – no “always” and no “nevers”So research, research, research. Don’t be cocky. Humility is paramount since there’s nothing like the vagaries of medicine and individual circumstances and personalities to take the wind out of your sail. No single person (or website) has all the answers. Attend the lectures while you still can: you’ll never be spoon-fed like that again. Remember: the learning never ends. (h/t @sonodoc99and @shartiga)

Rule #5: Your family is your anchorSpend time with them. Make them a priority. Surprise your spouse or significant other with flowers, or better yet, carry-out. If safe to do so, leave work to attend the kids’ assemblies at school or their sports games and return later if you still have work to do. Do this and they might even help with your laundry once in a while. (h/t@DoctorNatasha)

Rule #6: It’s okay to say “I don’t know”… just be sure to add “… but I’ll look it up.” More often than not, someone else might have an idea, so bring in the cavalry. Use the phone and call the expert – even if he or she is in another state or country. Still, if the answer remains elusive, it really is okay to say you really don’t know what to do. Sometime there is nothing you can do. And once in a while when all other options have been exhausted, don’t forget to ask the patient or family for their help to see if they have another idea that you haven’t tried. (h/t: @kevinmd)

Rule #7: If you screw up, say you’re sorry.Lots has been written on this, and certainly there’s an appropriate time and place for doing so, but take the time to offer your apologies if a mistake occurs. Work to make sure the mistake doesn’t happen again and realize there is an important bond that forms when a doctor sticks with his or her patient through thick and thin. (h/t:@kevinmd)

Rule #8 – Play niceNurses, respiratory technicians, physical therapists, nurse practitioners, dietary personnel, pharmacists, and the EMT's/paramedics are your friends – keep them that way. Be respectful, appreciate their skills, and use their expertise. Most important, before you try to lie down on call, ask the covering nurse(s) if there’s anything they need before you retire. It might just save you a page. (h/t: @rlbates)

Rule #9 – Crazy people get sick, tooSo be sure to attend to rules #1, #2, and #3. (h/t: @InpatientMed

Rule #10 – Do the dirty workAll you have to do is help with nurse with a digital disimpaction, enema, or cleanup of a dirty bed and you’ll be an instant hero. Word travels fast. After all, believe it or not, you are not above the others. You are part of a team: just one member with a bit more responsibility at times. By helping, you’ll be helped. By caring, you’ll be cared for. And sometimes, your new patients or colleagues might even bring you cookies.

-Wes

By the way, if you are on twitter and don't follow Dr. Wes, you definitely should.